Fantasy basketball: 5 sleepers worthy of a late-round flier
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The top of any fantasy draft is fairly straightforward, but the best fantasy owners distinguish themselves with their late-round picks.
Here are five players to target in the final rounds of your 2018-19 NBA fantasy draft:
PG/SG Jeremy Lin, Hawks
Jeremy Lin has played just 37 games over the past two seasons. When healthy, however, the 30-year-old combo guard can be a valuable piece on any fantasy bench. In 406 career appearances, Lin has averaged 16.2 points, six assists, and 3.9 rebounds per 36 minutes.
He'll provide a compliment to the hyper-aggressive - and likely turnover-prone - playing style of Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young. Lin might see nearly 30 minutes a night for a young Hawks team in need of veteran stability, which could lead to top-100 fantasy production.
Lin's average draft position (per FantasyPros) indicates the general public is quite tepid on his outlook. You can probably afford to wait until around pick No. 120 in your draft to take a shot on him.
theScore Ranking: 99 Overall, PG35
FantasyPros ADP: 149 Overall, PG45
C Marcin Gortat, Clippers
Doc Rivers' tendency in recent years has been to ride his centers hard. DeAndre Jordan averaged 30-plus minutes per game in each of his past five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. While Marcin Gortat is older than Jordan, a similar role isn't implausible.
Over the six seasons prior to last year, Gortat averaged 12.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. In 2017-18, however, the rift between the Polish Hammer and the Washington Wizards saw his playing time dip to 25.3 minutes a night, his lowest usage since 2009-10.
Gortat still managed to post a respectable effective field-goal percentage (51.8 percent) and rebound rate (17 percent), so a bounce-back campaign could be coming. He's also durable, having missed just 32 regular-season games since 2009-10.
You could do worse with one of your final draft picks than selecting a player capable of putting up a double-double average this year.
theScore Ranking: 98 Overall, C29
FantasyPros ADP: 162 Overall, C31
SG/SF Caris LeVert, Nets
Caris LeVert improved across the board during his second NBA season. He owes some of his statistical improvement to a modest increase in playing time, but LeVert also simply matured in key areas, particularly as a playmaker.
LeVert's assist rate nearly doubled from 13.7 percent as a rookie to 26 percent last year, translating to 4.2 assists per game. A healthier backcourt featuring D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie could limit LeVert's potential as a passer, but he's still trending toward being a viable fantasy option.
Expecting 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists per game from the youngster isn't unrealistic.
theScore Ranking: 103 Overall, SG43
FantasyPros ADP: 159 Overall, SG46
PF/C Bobby Portis, Bulls
His altercation with ex-teammate Nikola Mirotic notwithstanding, Bobby Portis had a breakout 2017-18 campaign, setting new career highs with 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 made 3-pointers in just 22.5 minutes per game.
The Chicago Bulls' rotation will look much different this year. Free-agent signee Jabari Parker and rookie Wendell Carter Jr. need minutes, and ball-dominant scorer Zach LaVine will presumably play more than 24 games. In any case, Portis has been afforded a timely opportunity to assert his fantasy value with second-year stretch forward Lauri Markkanen out of action for the next six-to-eight weeks.
If Portis can show enough early in the season to justify receiving significant playing time even after Markkanen returns from his elbow injury, he could stick as a relevant player in fantasy leagues. At the very least, Portis stands to gain a lot from any potential health setback from Parker, who has missed 145 regular-season games in his four-year career.
theScore Ranking: 116 Overall, PF42
FantasyPros ADP: 183 Overall, PF54
SG/SF Jonathon Simmons, Magic
On an Orlando Magic team that's continued to invest heavily in its frontcourt with recent draft picks Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, and now Mo Bamba, Jonathon Simmons doesn't have nearly as much competition for playing time on the wings.
It also appears the wrist injury that kept his fantasy outlook murky for most of the summer is firmly in the rearview:
.@OrlandoMagic G Jonathon Simmons spent most of his summer with a cast on his right wrist and was only recently cleared. He said he won’t be restricted at all in training camp.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) September 24, 2018
Simmons averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during his first year with the Magic. It's possible he never emerges as an above-average rebounder while playing in lineups with three legitimate bigs on the floor, but that could open up his potential as a passer.
As currently constructed, starter D.J. Augustin leads the Magic's point-guard depth chart, and Jerian Grant is the backup. The possibility of Simmons becoming the point guard in super-sized lineups is intriguing.
theScore Ranking: 135 Overall, SF37
FantasyPros ADP: 181 Overall, SF50